Children from Holy Cross Primary School in Belfast head to Connemara for a holiday courtesy of a generous hotelier and the local community.
At the Holy Cross Primary School in Belfast there is excitement in the air. A party of 84 children and parents board a coach destined for the west of Ireland.
There have been many offers of holidays and mini-breaks for the girls since their school in the Ardoyne became caught up in a sectarian feud. Basil Keogh, the owner of Peacockes Hotel at Maam Cross in Galway contacted the chairman of the board of governors of Holy Cross, Father Aidan Troy with an offer to accommodate the children and their parents for a midterm holiday.
One parent is touched by the gesture,
I think it means a lot for the people of Connemara to bring us down, it's very, very nice of them, very kind-hearted.
On arrival at the crossroads village, the children are given a rousing welcome by locals who have turned out in spite of the bad weather. Father Aidan Troy thinks believed the holiday provides a much welcome boost as,
The children have been through a rough time, to see, look at the love and the care and the excitement, that’s good for them and I’m delighted for them.
During their stay the children and their parents will be treated as special guests at Peacockes Hotel. They will visit the area’s tourist attractions, take part in outdoor pursuits and be entertained by artists and musicians who have volunteered to make their stay in Connemara a memorable one.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 10 February 2002. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
